Medal of Honor recipient Sammy Davis and his wife Dixie are a unique husband and wife team who have lived a lifetime of remarkable experiences; their compelling story of tragedy and triumph reads like a movie script. Together, they offer inspiration and hope for new beginnings to audiences of all ages.
The Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest military award given to members of the armed forces for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
When Sammy Davis talks about his harrowing experience in Vietnam for which he earned the Medal of Honor, his theme is “Duty, Honor, Country.” More than forty years ago when he nervously began his speaking career, his mama gave him this advice. “Open up your heart, son, and let them look in.” With each presentation, Sammy connects to his audience with heart and humbleness, lifting them up with hope and inspiration.
Sammy has shared his incredible story with more than a million school children, veteran groups, corporate gatherings, civic groups, and at military bases at home and abroad. He also speaks at graduations, conventions, fairs, and for gala charitable fundraisers.
Sammy is one of three Medal of Honor recipients portrayed in Feats of Valor, a documentary aired on the Discovery Military Channel, and he is an ambassador for the Gary Sinise Foundation which serves veterans and responders. His book, You Don’t Lose ‘Til You Quit Trying reveals a gripping account of his Vietnam experience and powerful lessons he learned about love in the midst of war.
Sammy’s wife, Dixie, accompanies him on speaking engagements and lends her sparkling humor, love for people, and unique perspective as a veteran’s wife. She talks candidly about the effects of post-traumatic stress on spouses and families from all wars plus veteran’s health issues that often result from war experiences.
Both Sammy and Dixie lost a spouse to cancer before God brought them together. Their tender love story is chronicled in Dixie’s book, Endless Love and Second Chances. Dixie addresses grief, faith, mending a broken heart, and new hope in a poignant story that is sometimes painful, often funny, and filled with lessons about life. She espouses family values learned from growing up on a dairy farm, shares her views on marriage, and she talks about what it is like to live with a public figure who is the love of her life. Dixie is the only Medal of Honor wife in recent history to write a memoir.
As Sammy and Dixie share their extraordinary life story, they believe there are reasons for all that life dishes out, and they use those experiences to connect with others. Their shared passion is to encourage people to seek the best in themselves and to let them know others care. Their unending message is to never give up, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
Categories: Inspiration, Motivation, Veterans
